1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article for holding and retaining a variety of personal items. More particularly, this invention relates to a holder comprising individualized compartments, wherein at least one compartment is formed to hold coins and at least another compartment is formed to hold credit cards, automatic teller machine (“ATM”) cards, identification cards, monetary bills, photographs, and the like, wherein the holder can hold and retain items securely while simultaneously allowing easy visibility of and access to the contents of the holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art teaches a variety of articles used to retain a user's personal items in a variety of fashions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,840 to Vasilas teaches a pocket wallet comprising transparent envelopes, a bill fold, and a coin envelope. The exterior of the wallet comprises a window such that a portion of the transparent window closest to the exterior of the wallet may be viewed. The transparent envelopes are hinged onto a flexible hinge forming strip, and are thereby secured onto the wallet. The bill fold is also hinged onto the flexible hinge forming strip and is positioned directly next to the transparent envelopes. The bill fold comprises a top portion that is attached to a bottom portion by means of a button fastener. Attached to the bill fold and opposite to the transparent envelopes is a coin envelope. The coin envelope may be opened and closed by a snap button fastener. The pocket wallet is zipped closed, wherein the zipper engages with teeth located on three of the four sides of the wallet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,840 has several disadvantages. For example, in order to access either the paper currency or the coins, a user must first open the wallet, and then open up either the bill fold component or the coin envelope component. Additionally, due to the construction of the wallet, the bill fold component and coin envelope are unnecessarily constricted in the amount of currency that the wallet can hold. Also, the construction of the wallet makes it difficult for a user to differentiate between the different types of currency and to maneuver in the small spaced opening allotted by the bill fold and coin envelope components.
D376,257 to Broussalian teaches several embodiments of an accordion style card holder. More particularly, D376,257 teaches a front cover attached to a back cover by means of a screw like mechanism. An accordion file is attached to the interior surfaces of the front and back covers by means of mounting surfaces attached to each of the two opposite ends of the accordion file. D376,257 is limited, however, in that it holds only cards, and does not contemplate the holding and retention of other items, such as coins.
D332,866 to Kopel et al. teaches a wallet comprising three parts: a top part, a middle part, and a bottom part. The top part comprises an interior side comprising a transparent window in the center portion of the interior side and a Velcro fastening means on the top center of the interior side. The middle part continuously joins the top and bottom parts. The middle part comprises a transparent window and a zipper portion on its exterior surface. On its interior surface, the middle part comprises three slots formed to hold identification cards, credit cards, etc. The interior surface of the middle part further comprises a zippered section. The bottom part comprises a Velcro receiving part on its exterior surface, wherein the Velcro fastening means from the top part is positioned on the Velcro receiving part on the bottom part to secure the wallet in a closed position. The interior surface of the bottom part of the wallet comprises two pockets and a key ring. The bottom part and the middle part (excluding the zipper portion of the middle part) can be secured together by means of a zipper. D332,866, however, fails to teach a wallet wherein a user has easy access to both coins and to other personal items.
Therefore, what is currently needed in the art is a holder capable of holding a wide variety of materials, such as coins, paper currency, identification cards, credit cards, ATM cards, and the like, wherein access to these materials is unrestricted. Furthermore, the art requires a holder wherein a user can readily assess the types of materials contained in the holder and can readily insert and remove the materials, wherein the holder securely retains the materials, and wherein the holder is not overly cumbersome to a user.